Articles & Op-eds
KTVA: Murkowski, Sullivan co-sponsor Arctic shipping, policy bills
by Chris Klint
Alaska's U.S. senators are backing a pair of bills meant to establish a system of Arctic icebreakers and deep-water ports, as well as increase the state's influence in U.S. policy decisions regarding the increasingly strategic region. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan introduced the Shipping and Environmental Arctic Leadership (SEAL) Act as well as the Arctic Policy Act on Thursday, according to a statement from Murkowski's office. The SEAL Act is co-sponsored by Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, wh… Continue Reading
04.11.19
Roll Call: Democrats and Republicans embrace MLK’s once-controversial diatribe against ‘moderation’
by Clyde McGrady
Regulators warn Congress not to pre-empt state fintech rules The queen of the online clapback imparts wisdom to her elders We've peered into the void of Beto's mouth. Now what? A bipartisan group of senators led by Alabama Democrat Doug Jones on Tuesday took to the Senate floor to read Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail," commemorating the anniversary of the slain civil rights legend's famous jeremiad, and showing just how far public opinion has shifted on the once-controversi… Continue Reading
04.11.19
KTVA: Murkowski, Young reintroduce coastal mapping initiative
Two of Alaska's three congressional members are among lawmakers bringing a long-sought bill to improve mapping of the nation's shorelines back before Congress. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Don Young introduced the Digital Coast Act Tuesday, along with Democratic co-sponsors Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger of Maryland. The act would authorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to begin a full mapping project of the nation's 95,000 miles of shore… Continue Reading
04.11.19
KTUU: Attorney General says he'll visit Alaska to see rural justice needs in person
by Kristen Durand
U.S. Attorney General William Barr appeared before a Senate Appropriations Sub-committee Wednesday, on day two of a 2020 budget request hearing. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski asked Barr where he stands on several issues pertinent to Alaska, and the Attorney General said he's already planning a trip to The Last Frontier to see the issues himself. Murkowski called on Barr to work with her on issues pertaining to stronger protection for Alaska Native villages, specifically dealing with sexual assault… Continue Reading
04.10.19
Juneau Empire: March and rally ends the silence
by Ben Hohenstatt
Drum beats echoing off the buildings on Willoughby Avenue added thunder to a drizzly evening. As the Violence Against Women Awareness March and Rally made its way from Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall to Sealaska Plaza Tuesday, members of Woosh.ji.een Dance Group announced the crowd of more than one hundred's presence with percussion and leading the group in "The Loon Song." "I think that just having a little girl myself, I want to make sure that our community and our country as a whole is a safe pl… Continue Reading
04.10.19
USA Today: Emotional reading of Martin Luther King Jr. letter brings rare bipartisan bonding in Senate
by Deborah Barfield Barry
In front of a rapt audience, including the eldest son of Martin Luther King, Jr., Democratic and Republican senators took turns Tuesday reading the "Letter from Birmingham Jail,'' the slain civil rights leader's call to action more than 50 years ago. At one point, Sen. Doug Jones, a Democrat from Alabama, teared up as he read excerpts of King's letter. "To say them out loud and to listen to other people say them especially on the floor of the United States Senate was incredibly powerful, incre… Continue Reading
04.10.19
CNN: Why do so many Native American women go missing? Congress aiming to find out
by Scott McLean and Sara Weisfeldt
Moments after Alyssa McLemore called 911 and asked for help on April 9, 2009, the line went dead. Authorities were unable to trace the exact call location and never reached her. Police in the Seattle suburb of Kent showed up at the 21-year-old's door to see if she was there. She wasn't. Days later McLemore missed her own mother's funeral, and she's missed every family gathering since. McLemore, who would be 31 today, is one of the thousands of Native American women who go missing or are victims… Continue Reading
04.09.19
Wildfire Today: Forest Service Chief Christiansen testifies about harassment within the agency
by Bill Gabbert
Senator: "Making sure we have good policies in place doesn't make a difference on the ground unless and until that culture is changed." Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen testified April 9, 2019 before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. In a hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today the only witness, Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen, was there to defend and answer questions about the administration's proposed budget for the agency in the … Continue Reading
04.08.19
Capitol Public Radio: Bipartisan Bill Would Give Millions To Local Governments To Fight Homelessness
by Rich Ibarra
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is pushing a bill to award local governments $750 million a year for the next five years to combat homelessness. The Fighting Homelessness Through Services and Housing Act, introduced last week by Sens. Feinstein and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Steve Stivers (R-Ohio), has bipartisan support. More than 550,000 people are homeless in the United States today, and 25 percent of them are in California, according to the Department of Ho… Continue Reading
04.08.19
Space Coast Daily: Sen. Marco Rubio Reintroduces Bipartisan Bill to Promote U.S. Shark Conservation
U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) reintroduced the Sustainable Shark Fisheries and Trade Act (S. 1008), bicameral legislation that recognizes the sustainable and economically-valuable fishing practices of U.S. shark fishermen and promotes U.S. standards for shark conservation and humane harvest abroad. U.S. Representative Daniel Webster (R-FL) has introduced similar legislation (H.R. 788) in the House… Continue Reading
04.08.19
Reuters: Exclusive: United States sets sights on China in new electric vehicle push
by Ernest Scheyder
U.S. government officials plan to meet with executives from automakers and lithium miners in early May as part of a first-of-its-kind effort to launch a national electric vehicle supply chain strategy, according to three sources familiar with the matter. While Volkswagen AG, Tesla Inc and other electric-focused automakers and battery manufacturers are expanding in the United States and investing billions in the new technology, they are reliant on mineral imports without a major push to develop … Continue Reading
04.08.19
Electrek: US looks to launch national electric vehicle supply chain, report says
by Phil Dzikiy
U.S. government officials are looking to develop a domestic electric vehicle supply chain that would encourage the mining of materials for automakers and battery manufacturers, according to a recent report. Officials from the U.S. Department of State, Department of Energy, Department of the Interior and the U.S. Geological Survey will meet in early May with automakers and lithium miners to discuss the effort, Reuters reports. Representatives from Tesla, GM, and Ford also plan to attend the meet… Continue Reading
04.07.19
Must Read Alaska: Lisa, Dan, Don unite on side of cannabis, states’ rights
by Suzanne Downing
DELEGATION SAYS IT'S 'HIGH TIME' U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young have added their support for legislation to protect states, like Alaska, that have legalized marijuana. Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) reintroduced bipartisan legislation, The Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States Act, to remove the threat of federal intervention and prosecution in states that regulate marijuana use and sales. Reps. David Joyce (R… Continue Reading
04.03.19
Bloomberg: EPA to Ease Air Limits for Alaska Diesel Generators
by Abby Smith and Amena H. Saiyid
The EPA will issue a rule in June relaxing air pollution standards for diesel generators in remote areas of Alaska, Administrator Andrew Wheeler told senators. "We are working to provide regulatory relief" and plan to remove so-called tier 4 air pollution requirements for operators of diesel generators in those areas, Wheeler said in response to questions from Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) during an April 3 budget hearing. The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to release a notice of… Continue Reading
04.03.19
Bustle: This Bill Addressing Violence Against Native Women Could Bring Real Change, Senators Say
by Monica Busch
The lack of concrete data surrounding missing and murdered Native American women can make the problem difficult for law enforcement, legislators, and advocates to combat. A new bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate this week, the Not Invisible Act, would tackle violence against Native women through a joint committee made up of tribal, local, and federal leaders. Sponsored by Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jon Tester, some of these lawmakers tell… Continue Reading
04.03.19
Anchorage Daily News: In Senate hearing, Murkowski cites Alaskans’ frustrations with navigating earthquake disaster assistance
by Annie Zak
In a U.S. Senate hearing Wednesday, Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski highlighted the difficulties some Alaskans have had trying to get disaster aid after the Nov. 30 earthquake. People are dealing with confusion around what types of home repairs are eligible for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Murkowski said. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security hearing was to review FEMA's budget request for fiscal year 2020. Aid some Alaskans have received… Continue Reading
04.03.19
Juneau Empire: Murder is the third leading cause of death among Alaska Native women Here’s what Lisa Murkowski is doing about it
by Mollie Barnes
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is a part of a group of senators who introduced a bill in Congress on Wednesday that addresses the crisis of missing, trafficked and murdered indigenous women. The Not Invisible Act of 2019 is legislation that would engage law enforcement, tribal leaders, federal partners, and service providers and improve coordination across federal agencies, according to a press release. "Human trafficking is a horrifying reality across the state of Alaska and is dispropor… Continue Reading
04.02.19
Tech Stock Standard: Senate votes to end support for Saudi war in Yemen
by Susannah George
The voted Wednesday to end U.S. support for the Saudi Arabian-led coalition's war in , bringing Congress one step closer to a unprecedented rebuke of President Donald Trump's foreign policy. Lawmakers have never before invoked the decades-old War Powers Resolution to stop a foreign conflict, but they are poised to do just that in the bid to cut off U.S. support for a war that has triggered a humanitarian catastrophe. The vote puts Congress on a collision course with Trump, who has already thre… Continue Reading
04.02.19
Huffington Post: Senate Bill Pushes The Feds To Focus On Violence Against Native Women
by Jennifer Bendery
A bipartisan group of senators unveiled legislation Wednesday to make the federal government step up its response to the largely overlooked crisis of Native American women going missing, being murdered or being forced into sex trafficking. The Not Invisible Act would help establish an overarching federal strategy for addressing the skyrocketing rates of violence targeted at indigenous people. It creates an advisory committee of local, tribal and federal leaders to brainstorm best practices for … Continue Reading
04.01.19
Geek: Senators Reintroduce Bill to Advance Nuclear Technology
by Stephanie Mlot
A group of 15 senators last week reintroduced bipartisan legislation to boost nuclear energy innovation. The Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (NELA) aims to reestablish U.S. leadership in the field, while ensuring advanced reactors can provide clean, safe, affordable, reliable power to meet national and global needs. "As we seek to maintain electric reliability, keep energy prices affordable, and address climate change, nuclear power stands out as one of our very best options," Sen. Lisa Murkowski… Continue Reading
